- President names new management for Niger Delta power holding company
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Abdullahi Usman as the Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, effectively sacking Jalal Arabi whom he appointed last October.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, announced the development in a statement on Monday.
Usman’s appointment comes just as his predecessor, Arabi, is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, for allegedly mismanaging Hajj subsidies to the tune of N90bn.
On August 16, the EFCC said it detained Arabi, and the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, over illegal withdrawal and the alleged mismanagement of the N90bn 2024 Hajj intervention fund.
A total of SR314, 098 was said to have been recovered from Arabi and other ranking officials.
The anti-graft agency said it discovered that, from the N90bn Hajj subsidy, Arabi fraudulently overpaid himself and others above the necessary operational cost.
Meanwhile, the Presidency described the new NAHCON Chief, Usman, as “a renowned scholar with qualifications from two Islamic centres of excellence — the University of Madinah and Peshawar University, Pakistan.”
“He is also well-grounded in Hajj operations, having served as the Chairman of Kano State Pilgrims Board, and successfully supervised the operations of the largest quota of state pilgrims in the country,” it added.
The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Ngelale said the President expects the new Chairman of NAHCON to “discharge his duties with integrity, transparency, and utmost fidelity to the nation.”
Tinubu appoints new management for Niger Delta power holding company
In another development, President Tinubu has appointed seven persons to serve as the new management team for the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.
The Presidency announced the appointments on Monday in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
The new members of the management of the company are Jennifer Adighije as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abdullahi Kassim as Executive Director (Generation), Bello Bello as Executive Director (Networks) and Emmanuel Umeoji as Executive Director (Corporate Services).
Others are Omololu Agoro as Executive Director (Finance and accounts), Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama as Executive Director (Strategy and commercial), and Steven Andzenge as Executive Director (Legal Services).
The new NDPHC Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Jennifer Adighije, holds a master’s degree in Wireless Networks and Telecommunications from Queen Mary University of London, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Ngelale said Tinubu “expects the new members of the management of the company to deploy their expertise and experience to drive NDPHC’s mandate of effectively managing the National Integrated Power Projects.”
